Bogi on par - Bogey is par: Westside Discs Tyyni 2017

FIRST DAY OF TYYNI

The first day was sunny and we in class FM1 were the first starters. Florence from France was honored to tee-off first and at the same time Tamara noticed that they were playing her tee-off song! At the very moment I heard Tamara got my choice, Within Temptation "Faster", I realized that I was going to have someone else's song. Soon it started and the words went somehow like "Today everything slips out of my hands" and when I looked at the next group of players, Teea was laughing that it was her choice! It was a bit of a thrill song but in any case good-humored. That will do.

My overall feeling for the round is: good course and especially the start was of good and safe game. Scrambling started in the middle as I hit some trees. A bad hit on the tree ruined my otherwise good anhyzer opening on #7, and it was difficult to jump off the "bogie train ride". My drives were long and good otherwise, but they mostly ended up on the right side of the fairway, which gave me a tough approach to the basket. It was mostly because of playing with no playbook and with unfamiliar holes and that my old reliable Opto Jade has become more unstable over time.

I enjoyed still the whole round! Ladies were fantastic and everything went quite smoothly. The last hole #18 over the water went exactly as I planned beforehand: with three accurate throws to the basket and two meters putt.

I was delighted to hear that I was second in our class, three strokes away from leading Mila and Tamara was third, just two throws behind me. The next day we knew we were going to play together. My round was also the best in my card and I got a marker with the Tyyni logo and the text "I won my card". Wohoo! I was getting into the Tyyni feeling.

SECOND DAY OF TYYNI

Prior to thinking, Kivikko would be the tricky day for me as the other top three girls have played great rounds there along the spring. In fact, I have not had successes there since last fall and I have not played on the course but a couple of times. My playbook was just to play as much of my game as possible and try to keep up the speed of others so I would not fall too far. Great weather again at startup, the sun was shining and we were the first starters right after our FM1 chase card. The opening hole went quite ok. I chose the Opto River to get a straight and safe start. Putt was approx 8 meters, but it did not succeed. The first putt of the morning. Still ok to have a double bogey for this hole.

The best hole of the day was #7 which is in normal layout hole #6. I decided to throw Opto River again, as it had became so reliable that morning. My opening shot went right in front of the cliff, a good line after the mando. I was wondering that the pro players would throw next approach straight to the basket and take the birdie. I wanted that birdie too! I decided to try and throw my disc firmly towards the basket. A little luck was needed, but the disc ended up within 6 meters from the basket! The highlight of the day was here: putt in and birdie was mine! This is something I will remember, so I can play many bogeys with a calm mind after this.

Last hole #18. If the round ends up with 8-9 meters par putt straight into the chains, you cannot be unhappy! The course was now played, and I lost only a few strokes and was going to the final round one stroke behind Tamara, on third place. Mila had now 8 strokes lead.

FINAL DAY OF TYYNI

The final day was just as sunny as all the previous ones and again we were starting out with the first ones in the morning. We waited ten minutes before our turn after the chase card. And my playing did not work at all. I hit the first trees and only after another throw I got to the open place. The third throw was easy approach to the basket, but now my head was so soft, I threw my disc too far from the basket. Double bogey to a hole as easy as that seemed like a catastrophe and bite me inside.

For the third hole, I had a relatively good first shot but the second shot failed miserably and fell down too quickly. The third got gripped in my forefinger and slid almost straight to the right and OB. Oh crap! There was nothing to safe the day - my result after first three holes was +7, so half of the pluses I had in the playbook had been collected before the game had even started.

On the hole #4, my opening shot failed and I barely crossed the ditch but then I added some extra power and I almost went to the hole back OB after the second shot! A meter was left to the OB line. Still a long putt for the par but it ended up bogey. Well, that was better. A few bogey holes more and I had already given up the game in my mind and satisfied just to secure my third place in the competition. I had played "Front 9" in the result +14 and that did not satisfy me at all. I was thinking of trying to focus just to play the best game and enjoy the game, from that moment on. That was all I got left.

"Back 9" started with open holes, still got doublebogey for #10. Does this ever end? To the next hole. Anhyzer did not work good enough but hyzer to the basket did. First par on hole #11! My feelings got better and I was hopeful and determined: now I would turn my game and get all the par-results in the last holes. Easy holes, smooth play. The next hole I had a great opening shot. Great approach and a five meter putt failed. That was it. I could not handle this any more. I let others go to the next tee and I cried a few bitter and angry tears. I was so disappointed to myself!

I arrived in time to the next tee and we wrote down the results and soon I was on the go. Opto Jade in my hand I set my shoulder toward the basket. I set my feet as I had learned in the technical driving course, lifted my body straight and held the disc in my hand like I was reading a book. I decided to throw an anhyzer shot towards the basket. It was immediately apparent that now it all went well. The disc curved in a great anhyzer form toward the basket and made a small fade ending up close to the basket. I walked there and stared at the basket and wondered which one of us will win this. Six steps separated me from that birdie. I did putt it in!

I played the next hole with a strong putt for a par result, then had a bogey because of too long approach shot. I took it like a woman. I forgot about it the next second. Now I checked the scorecard for the first time and got surprised as I found out that I was still in the game compared to my competitors. I had not realized that I had collected only +3 more results in the back 9. Every one of them felt like ten.

Hole #17 was gently uphill and there was a 40-50 meters long OB next to tee. I was a bit nervous of getting my shot over it. I throwed Opto Jade in the air. We were all quite surprised when my disc kept on flying and finally ended up somewhere 80 meters away and it was easy to play the hole for the ideal result, par. I got honors on the last hole and it did not go like I wanted. I played it wrong. I still got an approach close to the basket, only 7-8 meters away and took the bogey as it was so steep hill. Now the round was over, the whole competition was over. We checked our results and I won the whole card! What! The unbelievable rise to the card victory after my complete collapse felt so good! Life is sometimes surprising :)

My biggest thanks to the whole organizing team, Disc Golf Vikings and Sipoo Discstroyers, and Terhi and Juha Kytö are the best ones ever - so much passion and effort is rarely seen. Thanks for this experience, an experience that will never be forgotten. Though they already have plans for Tyyni 2018, which is even hotter, even more spectacular... Disc golf never sleeps!

My video compilation - check this out!

Results and ratings in PDGA Pool B and C

Hole by hole results Pool C, round 1
Hole by hole results Pool C, round 2
Hole by hole results Pool C, round 3